Cupping vs. Gua Sha: Which Should You Choose?
Introduction
Have you ever noticed someone at your gym or yoga class with large, round bruises on their back and wondered what they were? Or maybe you've heard a friend gushing about gua sha and how it cleared the tension from her neck? Both gua sha and cupping are traditional healing methods that are becoming increasingly popular today — especially in Brooklyn, where people are using traditional therapies for muscle relaxation, stress relief, and better overall well-being.
We provide cupping and gua sha as complementary bodywork therapies here at Open Care Community. If you're new to bodywork, you may ask: Which one do I choose? In this guide, we will outline how each therapy is performed, what it feels like, and what conditions they address — so you'll know why your acupuncturist recommended cupping or Gua sha.
👉 Looking for personalized care and guidance? Book a consultation at Open Care Community in Downtown Brooklyn.
What is Cupping?
Cupping therapy is an ancient healing method from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It is done by applying small cups to the skin to generate suction. This "vacuum therapy" makes the blood rise to the surface of the skin, enhances circulation, relaxes spastic muscles, and helps the flow of qi (your body's life force).
How It Works
When you have a cupping treatment, your practitioner will use safe and effective suction cups. They place the cup on your body, typically where you have tightness or restriction, such as the back, shoulders, or legs. The suction brings blood flow to the area, which can accelerate healing and relax deep muscle tension.
Types of Cupping
Dry Cupping: Most popular variety — cups are placed without cutting.
Wet cupping is a more aggressive therapy with very small pinpricks before cupping. It is not done at the Open Care Community.
Common Benefits
Chronic shoulder and back pain relief
Increased blood flow
Muscle recovery in sportsmen or physically active individuals
A sense of being relaxed and less tense.
Who Is It For?
Cupping is ideal for:
Athletes recovering from training
People who spend a lot of time on computers and have upper back stiffness
Individuals in need of assistance for tense muscles or poor circulation
Anyone feeling energetically “stuck” or drained.
Safety Considerations
One of the most visible impacts of cupping is the red or purple, round marks which appear on the skin. These are not bruises or injuries — they are painless and disappear within a few days to a week. Our licensed therapists ensure that they use safe, clean, and professional techniques with sterile equipment and considerate regard for the individual's sensibilities.
📚 Recommended Reading: Healthline – What Is Cupping Therapy?
👉 Curious if cupping is right for you? Explore our expert-led cupping services at Open Care Community.
What is Gua Sha?
Gua sha is a strong healing modality in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). While cupping is a suction process, gua sha lightly scrapes the skin with a smooth instrument to stimulate blood flow, reduce swelling, and scatter stagnant qi (energy). Participants describe it as both releasing and soothing, similar to a deep tissue massage with a different type of energizing pressure.
How It Works
During a gua sha session, your therapist will apply oil to your skin and then move your skin with a particular tool, usually jade, rose quartz, or stainless steel. Your practitioner will apply pressure and scrape the skin to relieve pain and tension. This increases blood flow, calms the muscles, and supports lymph drainage. You can get gua sha on your neck, shoulders, back, or even your face.
Tools Used
Stainless steel tools are used at Open Care Community because they can be fully disinfected between each patient. For home use, we recommended either stainless steel, jade or rose quartz gua sha tools.
Shared Benefits
Fast relief for stiff muscles.
Lymphatic drainage and puffiness reduction
Sinus pressure relief
Support for TMJ, neck tightness, and facial rejuvenation
Gua sha is also widely applied in beauty therapy as it can tighten the skin, reduce fine lines, and move lymph to reduce puffiness and reduce sinus pressure.
Who Is It For?
Gua sha can be suitable for:
Chronic neck and shoulder stiffness patients
Individuals suffering from TMJ or tense jaws
People with clogged sinuses or chronic headaches
Those who are looking for facial well-being and delicate skin care methods
Safety Considerations
You may notice transient redness or spots (referred to as sha) where Gua sha was performed— this is a normal reaction and will usually resolve in 1–3 days. Gua sha is a gentle, non-invasive procedure, and our practitioners always prioritize your comfort.
📚 Recommended Reading: Healthline – What is Gua Sha?
👉Interested in a natural, effective way to relieve tension and support your body’s healing? Book your gua sha appointment with Open Care Community today.
How Cupping and Gua Sha Are Similar
Cupping and gua sha are two different approaches — one with suction, the other with scraping — but both share the same intention in Traditional Chinese Medicine: to free stagnant qi (energy), facilitate blood circulation, and allow the body to heal itself.
At Open Care Community, we often suggest using both therapies together. This depends on the patient's unique symptoms and how comfortable they feel.
Common Foundations in TCM
Both are derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine and are intended to:
Unblock stagnation of blood and qi
Improve detoxification and immune function.
Help the body release physical and emotional tension.
Non-Invasive and Holistic
No drugs or injections are applied.
Treatments are non-medication based and are consistent with the way your body naturally functions.
Immediate and Lasting Effects
Sessions only last 15 to 30 minutes.
Patients also experience significant long-term improvements in pain, flexibility, sleep, and emotional status.
Supplements nicely with Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
At Open Care, we typically use cupping or gua sha along with acupuncture to get better results. For patients in community acupuncture, if you want to do more than one modality (ie cupping and acupuncture), you must book two appointments. If you're uncertain about what is right for you, please ask your practitioner for their clinical opinion.
Herbal medicine may also be prescribed to balance blood flow and energy levels at home.
Accessible to Most Individuals
Both techniques can be modified for beginners and sensitive individuals.
There are also lighter options, particularly for facial gua sha or light-pressure cupping.
Cupping vs. Gua Sha Differences
Gua sha and cupping both aim to achieve healing through blood and qi (energy) movement, yet with varying techniques, sensations, and contexts in which they are most beneficial. At Open Care Community, we assist patients in learning about such differences so they can choose the method that is best suited for their body and health.
Method
Cupping is a technique wherein cups are placed on the skin, and suction is developed with a pump. The suction pulls up the skin and fascia.
Gua Sha employs a smooth instrument, such as jade or stainless steel, to scrape the skin with sustained strokes. The effect is a pulling and releasing feeling on the muscles.
Tools Used
Cupping: Fire cups (glass), silicone cups, or suction cups.
Gua Sha: Flat-edged jade, rose quartz, horn, or metal tools.
Sensations and Aftereffects
Cupping: pulling sensation, deep sensation during treatment; leaves round red or purple marks lasting several days.
Gua Sha: A scraping sensation over muscles or lines of the meridians; may produce temporary redness (termed "sha") but typically no deep bruising.
Best Use Cases
Cupping is beneficial for:
Deep muscle tension
Respiratory problems (e.g., congestion, cough)
Post-workout soreness
Gua Sha targets more at:
Headaches and jaw pain (TMJ)
Facial tightness or swelling
Neck stiffness and sinus problems.
Emotional and Neurological Impact
Cupping is also referred to as "opening," "stimulating," and "detoxifying."
It may assist you if you feel "stuck" emotionally or physically.
Gua Sha unwinds and soothes you. It eases tension that has accumulated, particularly when applied to the neck, face, or shoulders.
👉Don't know what the correct treatment is for your symptoms? Our Open Care Community licensed therapists are here to support you with kindness. Schedule a consultation, and we will assist you in selecting what is best for your healing.
Which one to choose?
Between cupping and gua sha, there is no single correct choice — and that's okay. What it boils down to is what your body needs, what you're looking to get out of your health, and how you respond to various forms of touch and therapy. At Open Care Community, we assist patients in determining what is right for them, with no pressure at all and plenty of direction.
According to What You Need
Choose cupping if you have:
Deep muscle tension
Post-workout soreness
Respiratory congestion
General fatigue or lack of energy
Select gua sha if you:
Desire facial rejuvenation or lymphatic drainage
Experience TMJ, migraines, or sinus congestion
Opt for milder treatments without suction.
Listen to Your Doctor's Advice
Everybody is different. Our experienced practitioners hear what you sense, inquire about what you wish to accomplish, and recommend a customized treatment program. This may mean starting with cupping and then incorporating gua sha, or vice versa.
Conditions Most Frequently Treated with Cupping and Gua Sha
We see at Open Care Community that patients are utilizing cupping and gua sha for all sorts of varied conditions, and they appear to work wonderfully.
They work best for:
Tension headache and migraine
Chronic neck, shoulder, and upper back pain
TMJ and clenched jaw
Sinus pressure and facial congestion
Sports injuries or slow muscle recover
Emotional exhaustion and low energy.
Both therapies increase blood flow, reduce swelling, and nourish the nervous system. They are ideal for sustaining conditions that do not always improve with standard methods.
We tend to pair cupping or gua sha with acupuncture or herbal medicine to get the best healing effect — all in a caring and friendly setting.
👉Want to explore natural options for your condition? Book a session at Open Care Community and let’s start your healing journey together.
What to Expect in Your First Session
Your initial visit to Open Care Community is meant to be safe, informative, and beneficial. Following a greeting, your practitioner will collect a brief intake to get to know your health concerns, way of life, and objectives.
Then you will discuss what kind of therapy is best for you. Generally, we start with acupuncture and evacuate from there. However, some patients start with cupping and Gua sha- either because they are needle sensitive or experienced with Chinese medicine and aware of what works best for them. We will break down each technique in plain language and answer any questions you have.
Patients usually discuss feelings of pressure, heat, or release during the session. You are always dressed, except for the region treated, and your comfort is always ensured.
You can feel lighter, less tense, or even drowsy after treatment. We'll provide you with easy self-care recommendations—such as drinking, resting, or keeping away from cold drafts—to prolong the effects.
Cost Factors: Affordability Meets Quality
We know that affordability can be hard to come by because of cost. That's why Open Care Community has sliding-scale fees. This allows bodywork treatments like cupping and gua sha to be available to everyone.
Whereas the majority of NYC wellness clinics are $100–$150, our sessions are $45–$90, depending on what you can afford. We don't require income verification—we expect our patients to pick the rate that works best for them.
Your initial visit comes with a one-time payment of $15 for intake, but ongoing care is flexible and transparent. What this means is that healing does not need to fight your budget.
We also have private individual services like acupuncture, visits for maximum benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will I bruise with cupping or gua sha?
Some of the temporary marks are to be expected—cupping leaves round colored marks, and gua sha can leave light redness or "sha." They are not painful and tend to disappear in a few days.
Q: How often should I receive these treatments?
For long-term issues, we would like to suggest weekly sessions to begin with. For maintenance or stress, monthly or bi-monthly will suffice.
Q: Can they be done together in one session?
Yes! Patients prefer the concept of a hybrid treatment session including cupping, gua sha, and acupuncture as a whole treatment.
Q: What if I don't feel anything at all in the first session?
That is fine. Some of the effects are small at first. After prolonged use, most patients experience enhanced movement, relaxation, and symptom reduction over time.
Q: Should I take off my clothes?
The only area treated needs to be uncovered. We care about your comfort and privacy at all times.
Honoring Ancient Wisdom with Modern Compassion
At Open Care Community, we believe healing is individual and that no one type of therapy will work for everyone. Whether you're new to trying cupping, gua sha, or both, these proven treatments do more than ease pain: they allow you to access your body's own natural healing and balancing processes.
There is no "wrong" option—only variations in the way to nourish your qi, or energy. With care and trained practitioners, you will receive constructive advice on what suits you best.
Cupping and gua sha facilitate the relief of stress, pain, emotional release, and enhanced movement. They demonstrate their value in both ancient and contemporary wellness therapies.
👉We’re there to walk with you. Book your first session at Open Care Community in Brooklyn today
📚Related Resources and Further Reading
Interested in learning more about how cupping and gua sha support holistic health? Here are some trusted resources to continue your exploration:
Evidence-Based Effects of Cupping Therapy in Clinical Practice – NIH
What Is Gua Sha and Why Is Everyone Talking About It? – Pacific College
